


It Could Be Worse

by dubfu (eclipseddestiny)



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: 2yeon are dating but it's very much in the background., Alternate Universe, Chaeng/Tzuyu are there briefly., F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 08:00:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17260532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eclipseddestiny/pseuds/dubfu
Summary: It's New Year's Eve and Dahyun is stuck, yet again, with another lackluster piano gig at some big house. Mina, however, is a breath of fresh air.





	It Could Be Worse

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year! This is for all four of you Mihyun fans out there (me, being the fourth). Just kidding, there's at least eight of us.

_It could be worse._  
  
Dahyun sighs, repeating the words to herself as her fingers glide across the ever-familiar ivory keys in front of her. The lack of anything even vaguely akin to a tapping foot or subtle sway amidst the crowd of people in the room is disheartening, to say the least. Nothing but a bunch of chatter and ill-hidden attempts at picking up men and women, but there isn’t anything surprising about that. Again, _it could be worse._  
  
There is a small part of her that feels conflicted by how she should react whenever someone occasionally drops a bill or two into the jar at the other end of the grand piano, whether she should be sincerely grateful or if she should be somewhat bitter about feeling like some kind of sideshow. Maybe playing jazz at a grandiose house party isn’t the worst gig she’s ever had, but it’s another tack on a corkboard of frustrating sidesteps from her actual goals as a pianist. She shouldn’t lash out on the generosity of others, though, so she relents and smiles with a nod at every crumpled dollar thrown absentmindedly into the container.  
  
A part of her thought that this gig might be worth it in the end; that some vaguely well-acclaimed musician in the area would be at this party and recognize her passion, and see how she could be a contribution somewhere – anywhere –  out there in the musical world. But she isn’t the only starving artist, so maybe it’s a fool’s fantasy to believe any thespian hotshot could walk into the room at any moment and give her the time of day. Many days, a lot of her aspirations feel like a fool’s dream.  
  
At least there’s the music. If nothing else, the melody at her fingertips could carry her mind away somewhere else, to a realm beyond the superficial scope of this New Year’s Eve party. She’s been playing for three hours, but the dull ache of her arms is what manages to keep her focused. The almost elevator-music-esque stylings are a welcoming start to any party, so it doesn’t shock her that, after so long, the party’s coordinator walks up to her side while she’s playing.  
  
“Hey, the band is going to be ready soon. Just try and enjoy the party.”  
  
Dahyun nods with a polite smile, though there is little available to the imagination at the prospect of “enjoying” this party whatsoever. Aside from the barely-acquaintances she met upstairs among the hired staff, there is not a familiar soul in sight. She hadn’t hoped for anything different, though, given that she is well aware that none of her friends are in any financial position to be here.  
  
After a few more songs, she slows to a stop when some of the band come over to take their place on the makeshift stage. Not wanting to take up any of their time or space, Dahyun swiftly bows before grabbing her tips from the jar and heading upstairs. It is a restricted area to partygoers. A part of her wants to take a nap on one of these guest room beds, but the fear of being fired for being caught sleeping seems too overwhelming to truly consider. Plus, there is free alcohol and it’s New Year’s Eve; might as well try and take the opportunity for what it is since she doesn’t like to spend money on bars.  
  
She finds her bag and sifts through it until she finds her wallet, making sure to hastily shove the tips into it. As much as she doesn’t trust the idea of leaving money in a backpack in a random bedroom that staff are consistently moving through, she also doesn’t trust herself to not lose it while it’s on her person. As big of a blow as it might be to her pride, Dahyun has had some embarrassing moments of having dropped bills and financial envelopes while with friends. Lesson learned. Therefore, it somehow feels more reassuring when she slides the backpack under the bed in a subtle effort to be stealthy.  
  
Whipping out her phone from the interior pocket of her tuxedo jacket, Dahyun unlocks the screen and quickly presses the speed dial number she knows so well, waiting patiently as the phone rings softly into her ear.  
  
_“Dahyun! How is work?”_  
  
Dahyun winces at the loud sound of Chaeyoung’s yelling voice from the other end of the line, aware of the bustling sounds in the background. “You’re already at the party? I thought it wasn’t until ten.”  
  
_“It is! Tzuyu and I are just taking a walk to the store so that we can bring something with us.”_  
  
“A walk?” Dahyun blinks incredulously, and practically trips over the corner of the bed. “Why didn’t you take a cab? It’s snowing where you are!”  
  
_“I wanted to walk in the snow!”_ It’s Tzuyu’s voice this time, soft but cheerful in the background. The speakerphone must be on. Chaeyoung returns with a chuckle, _“There’s barely much, don’t worry about us. Besides, you haven’t answered my question.”  
  
_“You could slip on ice or, you know, something,” Dahyun grumbles, though the casual chortle on the line only reminds her of her roommates’ slightly more reckless and casual optimism. She scratches her neck, resigning the worry. “I just finished my set. I won’t have to do anything else for the night unless the band needs a break.”  
  
_“Come to the party with us!”  
  
_“I can’t leave,” Dahyun says with a pout, plopping her rear onto the mattress. She really would rather be with her best friends, readying for a nice New Year’s Eve party with a bunch of familiar faces from college. “You know that I can’t.”  
  
She can hear Tzuyu calling out in the background, _“That’s dumb!”_  
  
“I couldn’t agree more,” Dahyun sighs, aching to change the subject. “You two have a fun time for me, okay? I’m going to get plastered and hope I don’t black out for the fireworks.”  
  
There’s concern in Chaeyoung’s voice. _“You hate hangovers. Just be careful.”  
  
_“Alright, alright.”  
  
_“Try and make a friend or something. There has to be someone there who is feeling lonely, too.”  
  
_Dahyun scoffs. “Who said anything about being ‘lonely?’”  
  
_“You’re probably in some quiet corner of this big house full of people right now, correct? I hear almost no noise in the background wherever you currently are.”_ Chaeyoung’s chuckle must be accompanied by a smirk, if the smug tone isn’t enough of a sign.  
  
There is a strong desire to make a witty comeback, but all Dahyun can muster is a weak, “And what about it?”  
  
_“You’re calling your friends, who are readying to go to another party, while you’re at a party…”  
  
_“God, Chaeng, I get it,” Dahyun whines, even though Chaeyoung has no way of seeing the added effect of a massive pout on her face. “You just hate talking to me, I totally get it!”  
  
Chaeyoung sees through the joke and laughs, _“I just want you to have fun! And to stop stalling with this phone call!”  
  
_“Fine, I’ll go…”  
  
They exchange some goodbyes, not without Tzuyu’s _“We love you, Dahyun!”_ reaching her ear, before they hang up.  
  
“I wonder if they’d let me go if I beg,” Dahyun mumbles to herself, stepping into the guest bathroom and giving herself a good stare in the mirror. At the very least, she is grateful for the tuxedo attire. Pants have always been her thing. Her reflection frowns back at her with a wince while she pulls her hair up into a ponytail, having accidentally pulled on some strands in the process. _Pain is beauty, isn’t that it?_  
  
The thought actually makes Dahyun snort. Looking at herself, she isn’t all too impressed, but she shakes her head and tells herself that these sorts of thoughts aren’t allowed. She briefly looks herself up and down again. _Girls in suits are, like, the thing, right?_ This is a dumb question, she realizes, because she definitely has – on more than one occasion – saved images onto her computer of some suited female celebrities. But maybe it’s hard for her to equate herself to the same thing. _I’m a six, at the very least. That could be a lot lower!_  
  
It takes her a moment to realize that she has spent a minimum of forty minutes in this guest room, so she allows herself a groan before walking back out into the second-floor hallway, narrowly missing rushing employees between both ends of the house as she makes her way back down to the first floor. She’s quickly reminded of the wealth surrounding her.  
  
If a big house essentially on a cliff overlooking the valley and the city at a distance isn’t enough of a chilling expense in this day and age, the overwhelmingly modern and contemporary architectural style of the lot really takes the cake. Past the initial iron gate and front of the house, the rest of the property is basically a massive open-floor plan. A lot of the main area of the house opens out to the backyard, where a dazzlingly clear pool awaits with another small building ahead of it; probably the “pool house,” though Dahyun’s idea of a pool house is more like a shack and less like the open minibar and lounge she sees in the distance. It surprises her when she realizes that the snow hasn’t caught up to the hills yet, because she sees plenty of guests casually enjoying themselves outside. There are even people dancing on the roof of the pool house, which has also been properly set up as another extension of the party.  
  
_Isn’t it still cold, though?_  
  
The exterior and pool house are brightly lit, aided by built-in LEDs within the marble surrounding the pool, along with modern cube-like fixtures around the backyard area that emanate a surprising amount of light. But the main house, where she currently stands and where the grand piano is, is almost like a different planet entirely. The building is cocooned in a dimmer and intimate glow, ranging in many colors (mostly a soft red) throughout the expanse of the building – from the main bar, to the living room, to the entertainment area for the music and dancing, and even to the bathrooms – and it wraps around her like some kind of stuffy haze.  
  
It's then that she realizes that she’s taking way too long just standing and looking around at the house while her heart is starting to beat a little too anxiously, and that’s her cue to get a drink.  
  
With a deep breath, she begins to walk toward the bar. Unfortunately, the world seems hellbent on getting in Dahyun’s way at any turn.  
  
There’s a gentle tap on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, excuse me… Do you work here?”  
  
“Yes,” is the mindless and automatic response out of Dahyun’s mouth without even turning, though she instantly regrets it when the afterthought hits her that there is no way a guest would want a pianist’s help with anything and that this will likely be some kind direction-based question or something with the –  
  
“I – um – have a bathroom emergency of sorts, if you could please help me,” is what the voice whispers but, when she finally turns to politely inform the person of her actual position, Dahyun can’t help but gulp down a hitched breath. There are a lot of positive adjectives to describe the girl suddenly in front of her, but she settles on pretty. Although, in the glow around them, even that is an understatement.  
  
She finally registers the question once the other girl tilts her head a bit, and a part of her wants to laugh. Did she imagine that this woman, clad in an elegant, solid black dress and expensive earrings, said the phrase “bathroom emergency” right in front of her?  
  
Dahyun clears her throat, “Yeah, sorry. I can try.”  
  
The woman offers a small smile before turning and leading Dahyun to the bathroom, and there is a part of her that debates whether she’d normally accept the position of a plumber whenever a cute girl spoke to her. _I could be a renaissance woman… Pianist, Plumber… Painter, maybe? No, that’s Chaeng._  
  
“I just,” the girl starts, with a tinge of embarrassment, after Dahyun closes the door behind them, “can’t get this down. It was here when I came in, but it won’t go down.”  
  
Dahyun needs little visual aid to help her assess the situation, the pungent stench upon entering the room being enough to scrunch her nose and brow. She almost feels guilty for the girl’s blushing face. “I believe you, if you’re worried about it. I don’t think your body could,” she takes a hesitant step toward the toilet and dares to squint and take a peek inside the bowl, “produce something so, uh…”  
  
The girl coughs, “Smelly?”  
  
“Right,” Dahyun says with a nod. _“Thick” is more of what I was going for, but sure._  
  
With a hint of dread, Dahyun heads to one of the cabinets underneath the sink and, thankfully, finds detergent, bleach, and a pair of rubber gloves. A bit sad that she can’t say she’s unfamiliar with this process, she puts them on and walks over to the toilet, lifting the lid from the tank and closing the flapper inside with only a subtle frown at the continuous stench up her nose. The toilet at her and her friends’ apartment is shitty – an accidental pun that makes her chuckle breathlessly given the current situation – but she’s usually the one with bad enough luck that it’s almost always on her to fix it, so this isn’t an uncommon occurrence for her. Regardless, she hates it.  
  
She grabs the plunger from the corner and walks to the sink, turning on the warm water and running it over the suction head. When she briefly looks up into the mirror, she sees that the girl is still there, standing quietly and awkwardly looking around the bathroom.  
  
“You don’t have to wait around if you don’t want to,” Dahyun assures. Surely, the smell alone must be enough to make her want to leave, let alone having to watch someone plunge a toilet.  
  
The girl acknowledges Dahyun’s gaze through the mirror, “I just want to help in case someone tries to come in while you’re doing that. Plus, I still need to go.”  
  
“You’re not planning on doing this, too, after I fix this, are you?” Dahyun asks, teasingly.  
  
The girl chuckles at the joke, despite seeming embarrassed. “No, no. Of course not, not after all this hard work you’re doing.”  
  
Dahyun shuts the water off and flexes an arm while walking toward the toilet. “Yeah, it takes real guns for a job like this, you know?” She’s satisfied when the stranger chuckles again, and she firmly stands her ground above the toilet with newfound confidence as she dips the plunger in and starts going at it. Grateful for prior experience, she’s able to avoid any kind of splashing.  
  
“Are you enjoying the party?” She asks, figuring that making conversation in a shitty situation – god, she might as well be a comedian, really – would be best.  
  
Dahyun looks over her shoulder just as the girl tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “It could be worse.”  
  
“Not one for parties?”  
  
“Yeah,” the girl shrugs, rubbing her own arm. “A couple of friends wanted me to come with them since it's New Year’s Eve, but I’m not sure where they are in the house and I’m pretty sure they’re not sober.”  
  
_“There has to be someone there who is feeling lonely, too.”_  
  
“What’s your name, if you don’t mind?” Dahyun asks, more than well aware that the visual of her unclogging a toilet is probably more or less a turn-off to the question.  
  
“Myoui Mina,” the girl says, a tiny smile accompanying the soft sound. A part of Dahyun feels that the name sounds familiar, and she almost panics at the idea that this could be an old classmate that she has completely forgotten. But she tries to dismiss it. _Be casual._  
  
“Kim Dahyun. It’s nice to meet you, although maybe it’d be a lot nicer under different circumstances.”  
  
“How did you find this job?” Mina asks, after a giggle at Dahyun’s comment, though it seems more like a shy attempt at small talk than any potential interest in her plumbing prowess.  
  
Dahyun finally lifts the plunger, daring to flush and finding great joy when the water goes down smoothly. She turns back to Mina with a rubbery thumb up and says, “I’m a pianist, so they wanted some of that as well as a band.”  
  
Mina’s eyes widen, “You’re the piano player?”  
  
“Yep!” Dahyun nods, casually pouring the bleach and detergent into the bowl and swiveling the plunger around to clean it. She can’t wait to air-freshen the room.  
  
“I’m so sorry,” Mina says, abruptly, with a mortified expression. “I had no idea – I didn’t mean to make you do this, I wouldn’t have asked if I knew you were a performer. All of the staff are –”  
  
“—wearing similar outfits, I know!” Dahyun assures, giving Mina a quick smile. “Really, don’t worry about it. I’ve got nothing better to do to kill time and I’ve actually done this before, so it’s really okay.”  
  
The subtle frown on Mina’s face doesn’t disappear as Dahyun flushes away the chemicals and returns the plunger to its container. Opening the flapper again, she closes the tank and brings the rubber gloves and chemical containers back to the cabinet beneath the sink. She’s quick to wash her hands, scrubbing almost violently in order to remove any paranoia of germs on her skin, before finishing and rolling her sleeves back down.  
  
“All yours,” she smiles, bowing and gesturing to the toilet.  
  
Mina sighs, walking closer to Dahyun while fiddling with a small handbag at her side. “I’m so embarrassed, I really wouldn’t have asked you to do this if I knew you weren’t part of the regular house staff. Let me pay you for the trouble – god, I feel so awful.”  
  
Dahyun laughs, gently placing a hand on Mina’s shoulder. “Really, it’s fine.”  
  
But there’s a flash of frustration on Mina’s face while she, despite Dahyun’s reassurance, continues to go through her handbag. Maybe it isn’t just guilt.  
  
“Hey,” Dahyun blinks, daring to squeeze a bit at Mina’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”  
  
Mina seems to snap out of her temporary bubble, meeting Dahyun’s eyes apologetically. “Getting persuaded to go to a party, losing my friends in this mess, and probably getting the only clogged toilet out of what might be at least ten bathrooms in this whole house,” she says with a sarcastic laugh, “I’m just feeling really unlucky right now.”  
  
It's a sentiment Dahyun knows all too well. “Could be worse, right? One of your drunk friends could’ve tried unclogging the toilet.”  
  
There’s a beat before Mina laughs, surprisingly loudly, as though the image is more ridiculous than Dahyun could understand. “Nayeon shouldn’t be unclogging anything while sober, let alone drunk.”  
  
The name is, of course, unfamiliar to Dahyun but she smiles anyway. “See? Instead, you’ve got me!”  
  
“I’m lucky to have you then,” Mina says, with a slightly playful smile, and seemingly already fading away from the frustration she was feeling moments earlier. The sentiment that Dahyun could be anything resembling a good luck charm almost makes her want to choke but, when it comes out of a pretty girl’s mouth, maybe she’ll take the compliment this one time. There’s a brief pause before Mina clears her throat and shyly adds, “I still need to use the restroom, though.”  
  
Dahyun blinks. “Right! Totally forgot, I’m sorry. The air-freshener is under the – actually, let me just get that for you,” she says, suddenly scrambling for whatever reason, as she runs back to the cabinet and whips out the lavender cannister.  
  
“Thank you,” Mina says, standing a bit awkwardly while waiting for this moment to end, likely so that she can _finally_ pee or whatever it is that Dahyun doesn’t want to ask about, “Really, I mean it. I’m grateful.”  
  
There’s something teetering in Mina’s gaze, Dahyun notices, that tells her that she should go, that this is a necessary farewell in the grand scheme of life, with all of its little parts and people moving along like constant cogs in something bigger than any of them can really fathom. Anything – really, everything – could be up to nothing but unpredictable chances and the choices that follow. And maybe it’s the way that the dim, pinkish hue of the tiled room seems to hit Mina’s cheeks just right, or the way that her thumbs seem to nervously fiddle with the fabric of her handbag, or the way that Dahyun realizes that maybe a neck could be _too_ attractive, somehow. But there’s something brewing inside of her.  
  
So, she asks, “Do you want some company? Uh, once you’re done, I mean.”  
  
Mina is surprised, but the way that her lips tug upward relieves Dahyun of the weight she had begun to feel in her chest, “Sure. I’ll be done quickly.”  
  
“Cool!” Dahyun grins before adding, “And you better be! I’m not doing that again.”  
  
Mina giggles, waving her hand dismissively to deny the notion before Dahyun promptly leaves the bathroom, returning to the main floor of the house. She decides to lean against the wall just outside the door, shoving her hands into her pockets during a wait that honestly shouldn’t feel as long as it does, the air fueled by the sounds of the band that took her spot. There’s a hint of anxious regret that tickles her throat, wondering what the hell she was thinking to offer company to a complete stranger when she, herself, sucks at being a party person. _I don’t know how to have a good time! How do I show her a good time?_ She shakes her head suddenly. _This isn’t a date, relax._ Though, the idea makes her ears a little warmer than she’s accustomed to. She isn’t herself; she blames the dim lighting everywhere.  
  
After all, Mina is super pretty. In fact, it makes her both a bit concerned and frankly a little irritated that someone like her could be left alone at a party like this. Though, when scanning the area of drunken patrons and hormonal men and women, she briefly thinks that a part of her is glad Mina was alone to begin with, and not in the slippery hands of the elite socialites in the vicinity. _What’s her friend’s name again? Nayeon? I’ll give her a stern talking to if I meet her,_ is what she thinks to herself, damn well knowing that she probably wouldn’t end up doing it.  
  
“Hi,” Mina greets when she comes out of the bathroom a few moments later.  
  
Dahyun pushes herself off the wall, smiling. “Hey.”  
  
“So,” Mina starts, much to Dahyun’s gratitude, “what were you planning on doing before I stopped you?”  
  
“I was going to the bar, actually.”  
  
Mina hums. “Do you still want to?”  
  
“Do you?” Dahyun asks, raising an eyebrow. “I figured you wouldn’t want to drink if you haven’t already started.”  
  
“I just don’t like drinking alone,” Mina admits.  
  
“Do you want to look for your friends? How many are here?”  
  
“Two; Nayeon and Jeongyeon. But we probably shouldn’t look for them.”  
  
A surprising response. “Why not?”  
  
It's either the hazy red lighting or a blush that makes Mina look especially bashful when she says, “Well, I don’t know what they could be doing.”  
  
“ _You’re_ third-wheeling?” Dahyun’s jaw drops, easily putting the pieces together.  
  
Mina rolls her eyes, sighing in defeat. “I know… I don’t know how I let them convince me.”  
  
“You can drink with me if you want. I might be awkward but maybe the alcohol will make me a better host!” Dahyun suggests.  
  
“I think watching you unclog poop was enough to,” and the way that Mina’s expression turns into something playful, almost as if she’s about to say something she knows she shouldn’t, reigns in all of Dahyun’s attention, “flush any awkwardness down the toilet.”  
  
“Oh my god,” Dahyun clutches her chest, contorting her face into that of a wounded gunshot victim. “That was awful, so legitimately awful.”  
  
Mina brings her hand up to her face, giggling into her palm out of embarrassment. “I’m sorry! That really was bad, wasn’t it?”  
  
“It’s okay,” Dahyun says with a smirk, fueling the fire, “Isn’t that why it’s called toilet humor?”  
  
“That… has to be just as bad.”  
  
They both laugh heartily at that, as immature as it arguably might be, and it’s a wordless transition when they both begin to head to the main bar. The gradients of the atmosphere change, from orange to a warm yellow that kisses their skin as they go to take a seat beside one another on the barstool.  
  
“What do you like to drink?” Dahyun asks after Mina gets comfortable on the seat.  
  
Mina purses her lips. “Good question.”  
  
It's enough to make Dahyun chuckle, so she orders beers for the two of them. “We can start off with something bad so that hopefully the drinks only get better.”  
  
“I don’t think I have the highest tolerance,” Mina murmurs as the beer bottle is placed in front of her.  
  
Dahyun shrugs, lifting her bottle to Mina. “It’s New Year’s Eve. You don’t need it.”  
  
“I suppose not,” Mina softly chuckles before clinking her bottle against Dahyun’s, much to the latter’s relief.  
  
Drinking. Drinking at a party. Drinking at a party, with a pretty girl. Dahyun won’t complain.  
  
It’s amusing, the way Mina hastily chugs down the beer. Dahyun isn’t even halfway finished by the time Mina has downed the last of the beverage, and even Mina seems surprised with herself when she places the bottle onto the coaster and looks over to see Dahyun, still drinking, with a raised eyebrow turned her way.  
  
Mina clears her throat, “I just don’t like the taste.”  
  
“So that’s why you drank the entire bottle in one gulp?” Dahyun asks with an amused smile, laughing after she’s had her sip. “Could’ve fooled me. You’ve got the swig of a pirate, girl!”  
  
“I dressed up as a pirate once, for a Halloween party,” Mina says thoughtfully, then trailing off as she seems to recall whatever night this had been. “Nayeon was wearing one of those demon costumes that are kind of skimpy, and Jeongyeon was Pinocchio.”  
  
“But were you,” Dahyun starts, suddenly shifting her voice into something completely different and goofy from her own, “ _Jack Sparrow_?”  
  
The reference is caught almost immediately, despite Dahyun sounding absolutely nothing like the character, and Mina shakes her head and giggles before quietly singing some “dun dun dun”s to the main theme of _Pirates of the Caribbean._ It’s strange, really, that the dorky acknowledgement of a pirate movie manages to delight Dahyun as much as it does, and she can’t help but smile against the bottle as she presses it to her lips again.  
  
“I like that movie,” Mina says after her mini showcase, her fingers gently tapping the bar.  
  
Dahyun nudges her. “You don’t say.”  
  
“Hey, you started it.”  
  
“What? Not a fan of my impression?” Dahyun asks, feigning a gasp. “Just give me a beard and some long locks and I’m sure I could pull it off.”  
  
Mina hums, a small smirk on her face when she teases, “Pianist, plumber, pirate… what else?”  
  
Dahyun plays along easily, “Philosopher, philanthropist, pizza-spinner… I can do it all.”  
  
“Oh, you know how to make pizza?”  
  
“Er, is the pizza in question microwavable? Why, is me making pizzas more believable than me being a philosopher? Why didn’t you ask about me knowing philosophy?”  
  
“Depends,” Mina says, raising an eyebrow. “What is your take on life?”  
  
Dahyun calls for the bartender again. “It’s nothing a shot can’t fix.”  
  
“Then yes, making pizzas sounds more believable,” Mina chuckles, clinking their glasses together when Dahyun hands her a _Hot Damn_ shot. They’re both quick to down it, and Dahyun thinks the rapid blinking from Mina is funny enough that she starts to laugh.  
  
“What was that?” Mina asks, slightly wide-eyed in surprise. She looks confused, like she isn’t sure if she liked it or hated it.  
  
“They call it a _Hot Damn_ ,” Dahyun begins to explain, “and it’s just whiskey, rum, vodka, and orange juice. It actually leaves your breath smelling kind of pleasant.”  
  
Mina nods. “Wow. That sounds worse than it tastes.”  
  
“Hot damn is right.”  
  
“Can I smell your breath?”  
  
Dahyun almost chokes. “Excuse me?”  
  
“You said it smells nice, right?”  
  
“Y-Yeah,” Dahyun nods.  
  
Mina chuckles. “I’ve never smelled it, so…”  
  
“No, it’s fine,” Dahyun hums, leaning in a bit. Mina’s face is closer than it has been so far, and Dahyun feels a little embarrassed for not really seeing the girl’s moles before. They’re not exactly subtle, but they’re really cute. The one above her lip draws her in the most, though she isn’t sure if it’s because it’s close enough to Mina’s lips that she gets an excuse to look at them. _She’s got a nice mouth… lips? Who the fuck says, “nice mouth,” Dahyun? Moron. Nice lips. Mina has nice fucking lips.  
  
_Mina clears her throat, a blush and an expectant gaze apparent.  
  
Dahyun blinks and stammers, “R-Right,” before gently blowing some air toward Mina. She feels like she’s in a sauna, worrying that she’s going to sweat beneath her suit, and it pains her to see how calm Mina is, to know she’s not dying of internalized panic like Dahyun is in this moment, even though nothing is really happening. But Mina sniffs, seemingly very serious in observing the scent, and smiles a bit after registering it. It’s a little giddier than Dahyun anticipated.  
  
“You’re right, that’s strangely not so bad.”  
  
“Told you,” Dahyun says with a wink, one last ditch effort to seem like some cool mystery girl who didn’t just stutter and get caught staring directly at a girl’s mouth. She even smirks a little, and Mina giggles for some reason. _Nailed it.  
  
_They stay at the bar for a while, chatting mostly about pop culture things that continuously throw Dahyun off. She doesn’t know what it is about Mina, but seeing such a regal-looking girl talking about Doctor Strange from the Marvel movies, or about _The Lord of the Rings_ over drinks in such a way that Dahyun can actually contribute to the conversation without faking impressive knowledge, is kind of nice.  
  
There comes a point where she’s no longer sure if the pleasant buzz in her head is the alcohol or the unexpected delight of speaking to the radiant dork in front of her.  
  
“Hey,” Mina says suddenly, stirring Dahyun from some homosexually domestic thoughts, “I think you should stop there.” And she can feel the bottle being pulled from her hands gently, though Dahyun doesn’t put up much of a fight about it.  
  
She blinks slowly. “It’s free, if you’re worried, Mina.”  
  
“It’s an open bar, I know,” Mina says with a soft chuckle, putting a hand on Dahyun’s knee that Dahyun absolutely can’t tear her focus away from. Mina doesn’t seem to notice how the leg freezes at her touch, but she clarifies, “I think we should stop for a bit. Want to walk around?”  
  
“Worried about my intake?” Dahyun teases with a sloppily raised eyebrow, her filter a little messed up. She’s not a flirt, by any means. _Is that even a flirty thing to say? “Haha, you care enough to not want to see me throw up before the night ends? That’s kinda’ cute of you, girl.”_ She subtly presses one of her nails deep into her own palm, like self-inflicted punishment. _Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god? Why am I so cringy?  
  
_Mina laughs abruptly, “You’re making a lot of different faces right now, you know.”  
  
Dahyun instinctively wants to ask if any of them are cute, but she resists, “Artists are meant to be expressive, aren’t they?  
  
“I don’t think I’m very expressive,” Mina says softly, shrugging.  
  
It takes Dahyun longer than normal to respond, “You’re an artist?”  
  
“Well,” Mina bites her lip for a moment before answering, “I’m a performer, to be specific.”  
  
“Really? What do you do?” Dahyun asks, her eyes lighting up. The reaction seems to catch Mina off-guard, if her widened eyes and blushing face are any indicator. But there’s a hint of a smile, a bashful one.  
  
“Ballet.”  
  
“Wow!” Dahyun grins, grabbing Mina’s hand from her knee and shaking it, “Dude, that’s awesome! I’m sure you’re great!”  
  
Mina purses her lips. “And here I thought I stopped you before you got wasted.”  
  
Dahyun pouts, “It’s genuine! What do you mean?”  
  
“You’ve never seen me dance, Dahyun.”  
  
“Are you a cynical drunk?” Dahyun deadpans, but Mina chuckles and waves a dismissive hand.  
  
“No, no. Also, I’m okay; just a little tipsy. You drank more.”  
  
“It doesn’t matter! Ballet is cool, dancing in general is just really cool. I always played piano at local recitals in my town just because it was fun.”  
  
Mina grins, “Really?”  
  
“Yeah!” Dahyun assures, patting the back of Mina’s hand within her own. She’s honestly not as drunk as Mina assumes. She’s just being sincere, especially because she’s never personally known a dancer before, let alone finding someone who does ballet professionally. She always liked the way that people couldn’t resist the beat to a song, couldn’t resist moving along with a rhythm, and so it has always been a pleasure to play and watch people dance to something _she’s_ playing. Affecting people to do something freeing or to make an impact on someone; that’s what she liked about it and what inspired her in the first place. _Maybe I really am drunk…_ _Am I a sentimental drunk these days?  
  
_“We should take a walk, Dahyun,” Mina repeats, and Dahyun realizes she never answered when Mina asked about it beforehand. There’s an addition, “We can talk about us a little more.”  
  
Dahyun knows that Mina is suddenly acting the way she is because she thinks Dahyun is wasted and in need of some help, which isn’t an offer she’d decline at all if it is Mina behind it, but she can’t get over the way Mina says “us.” _Pbfft, there’s no…. haha, uh, “US?” “Us,” like a duo? A unit? What “us?” And TALKING about it, the “US” she’s mentioning? Holy shit, I’m—  
  
_Mina gently taps Dahyun’s face. “Should I call a car?”  
  
“No!” Dahyun responds almost immediately, maybe a little too loudly, and Mina blinks in surprise. “I-I’m sorry. I kind of get in my head when I’m a little tipsy,” she says, though Mina purses her lips in an effort to hold back a laugh at the world “little,” but Dahyun ignores it, “I would love to take a walk, yes.”  
  
They get up, and Dahyun thinks it’s a good sign that she isn’t insanely dizzy right away. It changes when Mina links their arms together, for “support,” because suddenly the world seems to blur in a haze of rainbow colors. Technically it’s the dim multi-colored lights around the house, but Dahyun chooses to believe it’s a sign from Sappho herself.    
  
“I hope you don’t think I’m some alcoholic,” Dahyun mentions randomly as they’re beginning to walk.  
  
“I don’t,” Mina says, patting Dahyun’s arm in assurance. But then Mina smirks a bit, asking, “Unless you are?”  
  
“I’m not, it’s just New Year’s Eve and I was feeling a bit bummed.”  
  
Mina frowns, “Why?”  
  
Dahyun shrugs, “Wasn’t really happy with this gig. But it’s turning out a little better than expected, at least.”  
  
The smile she gives Mina is enough to make Mina smile back, albeit a small one. But that’s okay.  
  
They halt as they reach a slightly less dignified door, more barren metal than the other modern deco doorframes that litter the rest of the house.  
  
“Where does this go?” Mina asks. Naturally, Dahyun should be the one to know out of the two of them. Unfortunately, she has no clue.  
  
“No idea,” Dahyun answers, before pointing at it, “Do you want to see where it goes?”  
  
Mina hesitates, but she nods. A little adventure never hurt; unless, of course, they were in some kind of action-adventure film or some post-apocalyptic scenario – then, well, maybe. But they’re just two girls at a party, opening a door into a dark and narrow stairwell that certainly has its fair share of an ominous aura and, _Yikes, this looks great._  
  
“Um,” Dahyun gulps, hesitating to take another step, “I know I planned on making a New Year’s resolution about facing fears, but that’s not for, like, another hour or so, right?”  
  
“We don’t have to,” Mina says, and even she doesn’t seem particularly enthused.  
  
But they’ve had liquid courage tonight, and maybe an irresponsible amount of alcohol in Dahyun’s system, in turn, makes her want to act irresponsibly. Fearless is the word she _wants_ to go by, but she’s not going to pretend that she isn’t a wuss most of the time. _What’s the worst that can happen? I trip forward on some steps? I’ve been through worse, right? Unless this is some Narnia shit… Wait, but then I would love that. Narnia fucking rules.  
  
_Dahyun puffs her chest in a way that’s almost comical before saying, “We can do it,” in a slightly deeper voice than necessary. She doesn’t know why any part of her assumed it would come out hot to any degree, but Mina snorts and she forgets to worry about her image. They make their way up, closing the door behind them, and continue up until they get to the end, another door awaiting them that feels as heavy and barren as the first.  
  
When they push it open, they’re greeted by the chill of the night air and the familiar thrum of the party from afar. Curious, they walk forward and close the door behind them, and it’s quickly apparent that they are on the roof of the main building. It’s primarily flat, with glass railings around the ledges and a few benches and tufts of fake grass and flowerpots, as though to give some kind of poorly done rooftop garden look. It feels unnecessary, given that the rooftop already has such a scenic view of the valley that the obstructions from the backyard can’t quite grant from ground level.  
  
“Wow,” Mina whispers, gently pulling Dahyun with her toward the glass railing. She’s met with some resistance, though, and she asks, “Are you okay?”  
  
“I’m not the best with… heights.”  
  
“That’s okay,” Mina smiles, bringing Dahyun to one of the benches instead. They sit together, able to see the folks dancing and chatting in the backyard and on the opposite rooftop of the pool house. Some of the dancers over there wave to Dahyun and Mina, who wave back with a small smile.  
  
“Some party,” Dahyun laughs, not really able to make sense of a house party where there’s people on every level of the residence, across two different buildings, dancing and letting loose even on rooftops. Then again, she isn’t used to money, so maybe this is the norm up in the hills.  
  
It's quiet for a bit and, despite the panicked thoughts in her head and the heat in her palms, Dahyun manages to feel her body relax as Mina begins to lean against her fully, the girl’s head on her shoulder as they watch the party from above. The temperature is cooler up on the roof, or maybe it’s that the night is becoming chillier with time, but Dahyun isn’t completely sure. But she begins to feel worried for Mina, who is only wearing a dress, and so Dahyun shifts away momentarily to take off her tuxedo jacket. She makes sure to slip her phone out in order to place it into her pant pocket.  
  
“What’s this for?” Mina asks as Dahyun drapes the jacket over her shoulders.  
  
“It’s getting cold,” Dahyun says simply, unrolling her white dress shirt’s sleeves.  
  
“And what about you?”  
  
“I’ve got sleeves.”  
  
“Is that enough? I really don’t want to impose.”  
  
Dahyun smirks, “Beats unclogging a toilet any day, miss.”  
  
Mina blushes and pouts, gently swatting at Dahyun’s arm, “I didn’t know, okay?”  
  
“It’s alright, I would’ve insisted on helping, I think, even if I knew the horror that awaited me.”  
  
“You definitely wouldn’t.”  
  
Dahyun laughs, “You’re right, I wouldn’t, but I like to pretend I’m a knight in shining armor.”  
  
“Are you normally such a dork?” Mina laughs softly, and Dahyun blushes at the sight. Seeing Mina’s shoulders shake giddily while she wears Dahyun’s tuxedo jacket over them, clad in a beautiful dress and donning beautifully pinkish cheeks, is a sight for sore eyes.  
  
_I’m so bare minimum,_ Dahyun thinks to herself, before answering, “Day or night, weekday or weekend, sober or tipsy. I’m your dorky gal.” Maybe she wants to hurl herself off the roof.  
  
Mina only seems to answer that with a chuckle, linking their arms and leaning against Dahyun again once Dahyun has sat back down.  
  
“Are you tired?” Dahyun asks, suspecting that maybe Mina gets sleepy easily with alcohol.  
  
“I’ll make it to midnight, don’t worry,” Mina says quietly, though her closed eyes seem unconvincing. But, to Dahyun’s surprise, she asks, “Why were you unhappy with this job? Does it not pay well?”  
  
Dahyun wants to avoid talking, but she glances down at a soft Mina who’s peeking up at her now from her shoulder, and maybe she wants to crumble, so she opts to say, “It pays pretty well, actually. The people have money, I’m sure you can guess,” Dahyun chuckles, before continuing, “but I don’t want to be here.”  
  
Mina frowns. “Did you have a party you were supposed to be at?”  
  
“Technically, yes, but that’s not what I mean.”  
  
“What do you mean?” She feels Mina’s grasp on her arm squeeze just a bit.  
  
“I don’t know, I’m just kind of tired of not doing what I have been wanting to do my whole life,” Dahyun sighs, scratching the back of her neck with her free hand before returning her gaze to the party below, “and I know that sounds kind of… self-absorbed? Because there are so many artists, performers, just… so many people who are struggling and who are trying to get by, and some people who aren’t even allowed to chase their dreams. Then there’s me, some pianist who wants to play at halls but is grumpy because I have to work hard to get there, even if it includes shitty tips in a stranger’s home on the holidays when I could be paid in my friend’s company, instead? I don’t know.” It sounds clear in her head, the way she had been speaking, but she briefly worries if she slurred at all or was unintelligible.  
  
“It’s hard out there,” Mina whispers, straightening herself up and turning her torso to face Dahyun. Dahyun can feel herself blushing a bit at the proximity and the positioning and, again, the view of her jacket on Mina, but she continues to listen while Mina speaks, “But you’ll get there. I’m sorry that I didn’t recognize your face before, but I had been listening to what you were playing earlier tonight.”  
  
“Really?” Dahyun asks, surprised.  
  
“I mean it,” Mina hums, “and I regret not tipping at the time. But then I had to not only find but use the bathroom and, well, you know how that went,” they both giggle before she continues, “I know how hard it can be for people like us to find success. Auditions, connections, the need for an impressive résumé even though not everyone gets the same opportunities… it’s hard.”  
  
“Yeah,” Dahyun nods, glad that Mina gets it. She swallows, “I’m just so frustrated, you know?”  
  
Mina offers a sympathetic smile, placing a gentle hand on Dahyun’s shoulder. “I understand, really.”  
  
“I appreciate it,” Dahyun smiles.  
  
“I can help you, you know.”  
  
“Help me? With what?”  
  
Mina hums before responding, “Connections, as I said. I might know someone who needs a pianist or has room for a pianist. It depends, I would have to ask.”  
  
Dahyun shakes her head, “No, no! I can’t accept your help! That’s too much. And we just met, hello?”  
  
“Even if I wanted to hire you to play for my practices?” Mina smirks, a playful look on her face. Maybe she knows what she’s doing. Maybe she doesn’t but is making damn good guesses. But Dahyun feels weak, regardless.  
  
“Uh,” she bumbles, “do you need someone?”  
  
Mina giggles, “Wow, so you would? Okay, then that means I can help you.”  
  
Dahyun pouts, “Well, if it’s for you, it’d be different!”  
  
“Oh really?”  
  
“I’m serious!”  
  
Mina rolls her eyes, teasing, “It sounds like favoritism to me, Miss. ‘We just met, hello?’” Mina even imitates Dahyun’s voice, which makes the latter burst into laughter despite reddened cheeks.  
  
“That’s not fair! You can’t use my words against me! Maybe I just want to pay you back for hanging out with me tonight.”  
  
“Don’t I already owe you for the bathroom situation?”  
  
“Who’s keeping score here?!”  
  
Mina chuckles, standing up suddenly and gesturing for Dahyun to stay seated. She slips her heels off, to Dahyun’s horror. _It’s fucking cold, what the fuck?  
  
_“What are you doing, Elsa?”  
  
Mina ignores the reference, “We’re going to practice right now.”  
  
“Um,” Dahyun is confused. “How?”  
  
“Play something,” Mina urges, “It can just be mouth noises or something.”  
  
The phrase “mouth noises” is enough to make Dahyun laugh, because it sounds absolutely childish yet somehow right up her own alley in some weird way. She watches as Mina gets into position, a familiar pose that she has seen in movies and shows that have featured ballerinas before. And then Dahyun has her hands in the air in front of her from the bench, her fingers dancing along freely as she imitates notes with her mouth, ranging from genuinely singsong-y to slightly interpretable beatboxing somehow.  
  
She wants to laugh, very much so, but all she can do is grin like an idiot as she watches Mina dance across the rooftop like a fairy, the glow of the valley in the night a perfect backdrop as she gracefully moves across the sandstone with little effort. And it begs the question, _How does Mina know that this business is as hard as it is when she’s that good?_ But then Dahyun knows how it feels to want someone to feel the same about her, so she shuts the thought down because she doesn’t want to assume anything about Mina’s life. A stranger. But maybe that can change, too.  
  
Mina is gorgeous, grinning and giggling from time to time, seemingly at certain missteps because the tiles are just so cold to the touch, but she doesn’t stop. And it’s familiar, even if Dahyun has never once graced a dance studio, because she knows how it feels to be happy with your passion, even if there are minor mistakes or if it’s for a trivial moment like this. _Is it trivial?_ The way that Mina bashfully beams as she does a barefooted pirouette doesn’t look so different to the way Dahyun feels when she’s behind a piano, eyes closed and her body swept away completely by a melody in her heart and beneath her fingers. She feels the tug in her gut to close her eyes even now, to enjoy this moment of a fake song with an imaginary piano, but she doesn’t want to stop looking.  
  
But Mina stops, approaching Dahyun and holding her hand out. “Come on.”  
  
“What?” Dahyun blinks, lowering her hands to her sides.  
  
“Let’s dance for a bit,” Mina suggests, and Dahyun isn’t much of a dancer but it doesn’t stop her from grasping onto Mina’s hand and being pulled off the bench anyway. The increasingly cold air is kind of sobering, which she would be grateful for were it not for the fact that her only shred of hope at dancing decently would’ve been under the influence of alcohol. But then Mina crouches down toward Dahyun’s legs, and that’s when Dahyun realizes what she’s trying to do.  
  
“Oh. No,” Dahyun laughs awkwardly as Mina giggles at her, reaching down to try and grab her shoes, “You’re _so_ funny, Mina. Nice joke! Nope! No! Absolutely not.”  
  
Mina smirks, “You’re going to make me dance barefoot alone?”  
  
“I’ve got socks on, technically…”  
  
“That’s fine,” Mina clarifies with a shrug, and Dahyun feels defeated. She sighs and gently kicks off her dress shoes, watching as Mina takes a phone out from what Dahyun can only assume is her bra. A lot of women do it, so Dahyun doesn’t know why she still feels shy for having seen it without intending to. Mina quickly flicks through apps on her screen, searching until she eventually settles on playing Glenn Miller’s "In The Mood" before gently placing it on the bench. It’s surprisingly loud enough that it’s clear to them, but it’s still easy to hear the music from downstairs with little problem.  
  
“Feels like I’m in a different era, between wearing a suit and listening to this song,” Dahyun comments with a light snort, admiring the city view for a moment before Mina makes a move.  
  
Mina gently grabs Dahyun’s arm and pulls her closer, letting go when Dahyun is about a foot away. Dahyun stands still for a moment, already feeling intimidated when Mina starts dancing in place to the music, her heels doing little kicks and her hip rotating in a way that almost dizzies Dahyun.  
  
Dahyun gapes and asks, “How are you doing that? Why are our shoes off? Where am I right now?” Mina laughs heartily at that, still dancing in place to the rhythm, and maybe Dahyun gets it. Well, she doesn’t, but the sound of Mina laughing will probably make up for it, she hopes.  
  
“Nervous?”  
  
“I can barely fist bump,” Dahyun cackles, and Mina merely rolls her eyes as she grabs both of Dahyun’s hands. That briefly freaks her out, and she feels momentarily dazed as she follows up an already silly comment with, “Yes, ma’am?”  
  
“You can Lindy Hop to this.”  
  
“Linda who?”  
  
Mina’s grin is particularly gummy at that. “Not ‘Linda.’ ‘Lindy Hop.’ It’s a dance style.”  
  
“Oh, that’s an upgrade to the fist bump. An entire style.”  
  
“Alright, wise guy,” Mina smirks, gently moving Dahyun’s arms so they span in and out a bit to the rhythm. She folds her legs in and out, doing little kicks with her feet while moving her hips as she’s speaking, “It’s an American dance style, so I don’t blame you for not knowing it since you didn’t take classes for dancing. I know you know the song. The style isn’t easy, but it’s a lot of improvisation so we can just have some fun.”  
  
“What are the main parts to it?” Dahyun asks, weakly rotating her hips in place so that she doesn’t force Mina to just dance here alone in front of her. She gulps, awkwardly asking, “Like, what should I be doing?”  
  
“A lot of people do flips and spinning while going really fast but –”  
  
“Either you suggested this _because_ you’re drunk, or you didn’t drink enough to forget about this being a very bad idea!”  
  
“—but, we can mostly take it slow since there aren’t many rules. It’s a style specifically for getting out the urge to dance, kind of. But it’s for two people, so I’ll help you out.”  
  
Dahyun frowns, defeated. “Okay.”  
  
“Are you really against it?” Mina asks, looking down at Dahyun’s forming pout with concerned eyes.  
  
“No,” Dahyun sighs, “I just suck at dancing.”  
  
Mina smiles reassuringly, “Better to dance badly than to be alone and not dancing. I’m not here to judge you, I just want to have fun with you.”  
  
Dahyun’s eyes widen a bit, feeling brave. “Was that a flirt?”  
  
“Do you want it to be?” Mina asks with a soft chuckle, though the pinkish hue of her cheeks doesn’t go unnoticed.  
  
Dahyun purses her lips. _Is it wrong to get started on my resolution early? Is there some kind of ancient curse for doing that, like saying your wish aloud after you’ve blown out a birthday candle?_  
  
“Admittedly, I feel like I have to earn it through a dance before I can say yes,” Dahyun relents, though she smirks up at Mina, who does some weird half smile-half smirk hybrid expression that is kind of cute and kind of hot, or maybe Dahyun is just extremely nervous to dance like _shit_ in front of a professional ballerina who is wearing _her_ tuxedo jacket.  
  
“I can agree to those terms,” Mina says before gesturing for Dahyun to look down at her legs. She begins to explain what constitutes a Linda Top, or whatever the hell it is, but Dahyun is mostly grateful for the visual aid Mina simultaneously provides by demonstrating everything. It seems to be a lot of hip swiveling and slightly fast paced feet and leg kicking and stepping in time with one another, amongst other things, but Mina promises that they can keep it simple. Dahyun tries to practice along, repeating the little moves that Mina does while Mina continues to keep a hold of her hands, which distracts Dahyun a little bit more than she’d like as she earnestly tries to understand the dancing through her vaguely buzzed mind.  
  
“Alright, let’s dance,” Mina says, with maybe a little too much faith, and she restarts the song. Dahyun likes the song, so she isn’t about to complain, especially when she just spent time practicing in place to the same rhythm. She watches as Mina removes the jacket from her shoulders and inserts her own arms through the sleeves, perhaps worrying that the jacket will fall off while they dance if it’s not properly on. Dahyun rolls her shirt sleeves up, feeling a light layer of heat along her body from the bare minimum exercise, even though she’s certain she’ll get cold again very soon. Mina grabs her hands again, but this time she brings their bodies a little closer.  
  
Dahyun gulps as Mina slowly moves her leg first, stepping it forward and giving Dahyun the chance to step hers back. _Successful first step, I’m already nailing this._ And then they return, for Dahyun to repeat the step but in Mina’s direction, but she accidentally bumps into Mina’s foot. _Shit, well, I spoke too soon._ Mina chuckles, paying no mind. Taking off the shoes was a smart idea, after all.  
  
“Hey, don’t worry,” Mina says softly. She suddenly twirls Dahyun, much to the latter’s surprise, while still doing minor scissor kicks. Mina doesn’t let go, the twirl ending with their arms fully extended from one another before Mina pulls Dahyun back, adding a second twirl before the latter is closer again. Mina smiles before asking, “How’s that?”  
  
Slight dizziness. “I’m alright.”  
  
Mina chuckles, “What I meant was whether or not it was difficult.”  
  
“Pbfft,” Dahyun dons the cockiest expression she can muster, “I’ve never done anything easier. Watch this!” And then it’s her spinning Mina, though Mina accepts it much more gracefully. When the twirl ends and their arms are fully extended between them, Dahyun pivots her hand in Mina’s grasp and can’t help but giggle as she shuffles her feet closer by rolling her heels in Mina’s direction, slowly closing the distance. Mina laughs, too, because it isn’t at all like anything she demonstrated, but she joins Dahyun in the move and they shuffle closer together until they reunite, eyes on one another with smirks the entire time.  
  
And that’s where it gets out of hand, because suddenly it’s just two girls on a rooftop competing in who twirls the other better and who makes it more unique or funny. It ironically helps that Dahyun is a bit competitive, because she starts letting loose enough from the technical aspects that her spinning and twirling is closer to an actual Lindy Hop style than when she had been overly focused on making the right types of kicks. It’s goofy, really, the way they constantly extend from one another without ever letting go, constantly laughing and grinning as the other does something either ridiculous or completely unexpected. Dahyun’s favorite is, admittedly, when Mina morphs into a temptress, shimmying her way back to Dahyun in a sultry manner that leaves the poor girl incredibly red, much to Mina’s beaming amusement. Mina might as well have had a rose stem in her mouth for that one.  
  
It takes them a full minute before they realize the track has stopped and that there is very light snowfall. The two of them breathe heavily as they meet in the middle again, laughing over the fact that they hadn’t even noticed that they were dancing to no music. But it takes them an extra moment to register the snow.  
  
“Wow,” Dahyun mumbles, still trying to catch her breath, “I guess the snow caught up.”  
  
“Yeah,” Mina agrees quietly, and it’s the softness in her tone that helps Dahyun also acknowledge that they’re just keeping each other close through held hands, hands that suddenly feel like they mean something different than what they had meant a moment ago, despite the lack of any extra movement.  
  
Dahyun allows herself to squeeze a little tighter. “That was fun.”  
  
“Is that so?” Mina smiles, though it’s a bit tired, “I’m glad. You didn’t do so bad.”  
  
“To be fair, I don’t think I was really doing the right thing,” Dahyun whispers, an awkward smile stretching across her cheeks.  
  
“It’s right if you’re having fun, and that’s what you had. So, too bad,” Mina shrugs. She glances down at their hands, hesitating for a moment before pulling away and walking over to her phone. As though feeling the sense of disappointment in Dahyun, she says, “I just want to make sure we’re down there in time for the countdown. I know Nayeon and Jeongyeon will want me around.”  
  
“Gotcha’,” Dahyun says quietly, folding her hands behind her back while she watches Mina smile at her phone.  
  
“Perfect, we have a couple of minutes.”  
  
“Time sure does fly,” Dahyun comments, walking to the bench and sitting so that she can put her shoes back on. The small snowflakes hitting her bare forearms remind her to unroll her sleeves again, the chill of the winter night starting to creep back into her body. Mina doesn’t reply back right away, instead opting to put her heels back on, before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and turning to Dahyun.  
  
Mina doesn’t make eye contact. “Would you want to meet my friends?”  
  
“I told myself that I’d give that Nabongs girl a –”  
  
Mina snickers, “It’s Nayeon.”  
  
“—that Nayeon girl a stern talking to if I ran into her.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“For leaving you alone while she goes to make out with your other friend,” Dahyun clarifies, standing up and waiting for a moment so that she and Mina can walk toward the door together.  
  
“Wow, you really do have a knight in shining armor complex.”  
  
“Naturally,” Dahyun faux-flexes,” It’s not every day I meet a damsel in distress… in the bathroom.”  
  
Mina raises an eyebrow, following beside her with a smile. “We should let that go.”  
  
“More like the person who used the bathroom really let one go, am I –” Dahyun tries to joke, hand on the handle before a panic instantly sets itself deep into her spine when she realizes that the handle is stiff, cutting her off.  
  
“What’s wrong?” Mina asks, probably clearly seeing Dahyun’s wide eyes.  
  
Dahyun glances at Mina, then at Mina’s phone in her hand, “Can you text your friends to come up here? The door is locked from this side.”  
  
“Oh no,” Mina frowns, “You’re kidding.”  
  
Dahyun desperately tries a few more times to open it before confirming, “I’m not.”  
  
“We won’t make it down in time, probably,” Mina mentions, unlocking her screen and sending a quick text. From the corner of her eye, Dahyun can see from Mina’s screen that there’s about three minutes left. Mina chuckles, though it’s mostly to herself, “They probably haven’t checked their phones much. I haven’t really checked mine much, either.”  
  
Dahyun scratches her neck, her other hand in her pocket. _Not exactly how I thought I would be spending New Year’s, but I guess I didn’t really have any plans beforehand,_ she thinks, glancing again toward the cityscape in the distance. It occurs to her to offer, given the kind of night that it is with a now-crappy circumstance, “Do you want to stand over there and look at the city?”  
  
That surprises Mina, who locks her phone and asks, “What happened to your fear of heights?”  
  
“Well, I pretty much have a fear of dancing,” Dahyun shrugs. She gestures for Mina to follow her as she begins to take a step toward the glass railing, making sure to add, “What’s one more, right?”  
  
She hopes that she sounds more confident than she feels, because nearing the awfully transparent glass railing is setting off every alarm in her head to turn and run in the opposite direction. But Dahyun chooses to ignore it and tries to cope by holding onto the rail a little more tightly than necessary so that there’s some essence of security. But then she’s pleasantly surprised by the warm feeling of Mina’s hand gently resting atop her hand on the railing, and Dahyun can feel her shoulders relax.  
  
“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Mina smiles, turning her head toward the valley. It’s true. At the farthest end of the city, you can see the bay and the way that the moon reflects upon the water along the horizon line. Snowflakes fall, softly sticking to the ground and to buildings both near and far, and the lights of the city make up for the lack of stars in the night sky, sparkling like glitter from the view of the hills.  
  
And that’s what Mina sees, but Dahyun doesn’t pay attention. She’s too busy sneaking looks toward Mina’s profile, her gaze sometimes escaping back to their hands upon the rail. A part of her wants to respond, “ _You are,”_ but she can’t bring herself to do it. A girl like Mina knows that already, right? It should go without saying; doesn’t need detailing how much Mina glows when she’s beaming, spinning under Dahyun’s hand with her dress flowing around her hips from the momentum of a twirl, laughing like a teenager with nothing to lose. _I wonder how I looked._  
  
“What are you thinking about?” Mina asks, practically dragging Dahyun out of the maddeningly gay quicksand that is her mind.  
  
She makes something up, “You’re too tall now.”  
  
The response surprises Mina, but she giggles, “Fine.” And suddenly she’s bending her legs and removing her heels again. Once finished, she asks, “Better?”  
  
Dahyun laughs, “Unfortunately, you’re still taller.”  
  
“I can’t change that, I’m sorry,” Mina smirks, only to raise an eyebrow once Dahyun starts slipping off her own shoes again, “Why are you—”  
  
“Let you be barefooted alone? On New Year’s Eve? I wouldn’t dare,” Dahyun winks, and Mina smiles, and suddenly it’s worth it for Dahyun’s socks to now feel damp from standing where snowflakes have been falling.  
  
Then they hear it from downstairs; the countdown. And something about hearing the number _“Ten”_ yelled by a cacophony of unfamiliar voices, with such power that even the roof trembles ever so slightly, makes Dahyun incredibly anxious, like there’s something that’s running out for her. But Mina’s looking at her, expectantly. And, _God how does she look so good with this valley backdrop?  
  
“Nine!”_  
  
Dahyun pulls at her tie with her free hand, “You, uh… Are—”  
  
_“Eight!”  
  
Dammit,_ she thinks, willing herself to finish, “I hear you don’t have a New Year’s kiss waiting for you tonight, ma’am.”  
  
_“Seven!_ ”  
  
“This is true,” Mina says softly, her eyes crinkling in understanding.  
  
_“Six!”_  
  
“Would you, uh, be interested?”  
  
_“Five!”_  
  
Mina looks up, as if pondering the thought, “I’m not exactly in the business of one-night stands.”  
  
_“Four!”_  
  
Dahyun laughs, though it’s terribly more awkward than anything, and she can’t help but wonder if somehow she’s sweating because it sure as hell feels like it, “What a coincidence! Neither am I!”  
  
_“Three!”_  
  
“Good,” is all that Mina whispers. The hand on top of Dahyun’s gently squeezes, granting silent permission.  
  
_“Two!”  
  
_Dahyun brings her free hand to Mina’s, quickly sandwiching it between both of her own and keeping it warm in her palms.

 _“One!”_  
  
Their eyes search one another’s before leaning in, eyelids closing as Dahyun feels Mina’s free hand softly cup the side of her face.  
  
The sound of so many people yelling _“Happy New Year”_ down below feels muffled by comparison to the booming sound of Dahyun’s heartbeat blasting against her eardrums. She barely registers the sounds of the fireworks starting over the city as she feels Mina’s head tilt against her, the slick caress of a tongue teasing her lips. Dahyun can taste the warmth of Mina’s breath, the lingering familiarity of a _Hot Damn_ shot a pleasant surprise, and she desperately hopes that whatever she last consumed leaves a similarly pleasant taste in Mina’s mouth. Mina shakes her sandwiched hand a little, and Dahyun lets go.  
  
Her hands quickly wrap around Mina’s neck, which isn’t the average position Dahyun has been in from the past few kissing situations she’s been involved in, but she’s blushing and feeling a little grateful for the heat in this moment. Mina’s free hand cups the opposite side of Dahyun’s face, and Dahyun can’t help but pull Mina deeper into the kiss by the neck. Her lips are warm and soft, pressing against Dahyun’s again and again regardless of the angle, always applying pressure and leaving her restless. She feels daring, even; stroking Mina’s upper lip with her tongue and asking for access – access that Mina’s halfway through giving, before an unfamiliar voice interrupts.  
  
“We come up here to _save_ you, but it doesn’t really look like you need saving, now does it?!”  
  
Mina pulls away immediately, absolutely red-faced while Dahyun is wide-eyed and still blinking in confusion at the sudden absence of Mina’s mouth.  
  
Mina clears her throat, looking toward the two girls standing by the stairwell door but not making eye contact, “Th-The door was locked, Nayeon…”  
  
Dahyun mentally notes that the darker haired one is Nayeon, whose hands are at her hips with a gaping mouth of disbelief. Beside her, if Dahyun remembers correctly, is Jeongyeon, whose shoulders are shaking from laughing.  
  
“And s-so were your… lips!” Jeongyeon points at them, cracking up and barely able to get the words out. Dahyun averts her gaze, looking out toward the city so that she doesn’t have to face these people.  
  
“Mina,” Nayeon starts, “why the hell are you barefoot?! And why is this girl in just her socks?! Do you not see the snow?”  
  
“It was getting too heated, that’s why they took them off,” Jeongyeon snickers. And that seems to be enough, because one of Mina’s hands tightly grasps Dahyun’s and she pulls her over as she walks toward the two friends. Dahyun follows without a word, still dazed by embarrassment and disappointment.  
  
“This is Dahyun,” Mina says, still blushing but trying to push through the embarrassment of being caught. She shoots a particularly pointed look at Jeongyeon, “And _you’re_ drunk.”  
  
Nayeon sighs, “I know, she discovered Green Tea shots a little late into the evening and had trouble stopping.”  
  
“They were so good, don’t lie!” Jeongyeon huffs, leaning against the doorframe and keeping the exit open.  
  
“They were, yeah,” Nayeon giggles. She looks at Dahyun, her gaze traveling the pianist up and down shamelessly, before greeting her, “Hello, Dahyun. Are you trying to make Mina some kind of one-night stand?”  
  
Mina’s brow furrows. “You know I’m not like that.”  
  
“I know you’re not,” Nayeon says softly, looking at Mina with a surprising amount of faith, but her tone takes a harsher turn when she looks back to Dahyun, “but I don’t know _you_ , and that’s the problem.”  
  
“I’m not like that!” Dahyun raises her free hand up in surrender, desperately clawing for anything, “We actually already talked about a date!”  
  
“Damn, Myoui,” Jeongyeon snickers. Her lack of a continuation or elaboration causes Nayeon to shoot her a look.  
  
Mina glances between Dahyun and Nayeon, contributing, “Right. Dinner and a movie. A first date,” she squeezes Dahyun’s hand, “Dahyun is nice. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.”  
  
Nayeon nods, accepting it, but she’s curious, “How did you meet her? The bar?”  
  
There’s a semi-awkward laugh from both Dahyun and Mina, which makes Nayeon intensely suspicious almost immediately, if her squinting eyes are any indicator. Dahyun isn’t sure how willing Mina is to admit that she only approached her to help unclog some literal shit, so she sticks to a half truth.  
  
“It’s hard to not meet me. I work here tonight.”  
  
“Oh?” Nayeon seems surprised by the answer, but not judgmental. “Bar staff?”  
  
“Why are you so intent on the bar?” Mina asks, confused, and Dahyun feels as though there’s a subtle hint of agitation in there, too.  
  
Jeongyeon answers, “Common meeting place, you know.”  
  
“I’m actually the pianist,” Dahyun clarifies, adding, “but they took me off shift halfway through the night so that the band could play for the rest.”  
  
Nayeon chuckles, “Hey, maybe you’ll get to play at one of the Myoui concert halls if Mina likes your stuff.”  
  
“Concert halls?”  
  
“The Myouis own multiple concert halls in the surrounding districts. I’m sure you’ve heard of some if you’ve studied; they do a lot of programs,” Nayeon elaborates, and it hits Dahyun like a truck; why Mina’s last name had been so familiar to her. Of course she knew of the Myouis. _Rich family, holy shit._ But she feels the now-familiar squeeze of her hand again while Nayeon quickly turns to swat at Jeongyeon for poking her side.  
  
“Please don’t think that has to do with anything,” Mina whispers.  
  
“I honestly didn’t. Your name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t remember why throughout the whole night. I was too distracted by us hanging out. Is that what you meant when you said you’d like to help me?”  
  
Mina blushes, still quiet, “Yeah. But a job is a job and I genuinely know how it feels to be frustrated with where you’re at. It’s really no trouble for me, nor any guarantee for you, if I merely ask to see if anyone is willing to try out a new pianist for an upcoming tour, or something similar to that. Just auditions, no promises or handouts.”  
  
Dahyun hums. “I mean, if nothing else, I can still play for when you’re practicing.”  
  
Mina cracks a bit of a small smile, but there’s guilt in her eyes, “Dahyun, I –”  
  
“Free of charge, of course. But, if we’re going to work together, you’ll need my phone number,” Dahyun says softly, with a wink, and feels a bit giddy when Mina’s concerned smile turns into a surprised grin.  
  
“Of course,” she responds playfully, offering her phone to Dahyun after unlocking the screen.  
  
Dahyun is swift about inputting the number and makes sure to give it back, “Just text me to make sure I get your number, too, okay? Don’t leave me hanging.”  
  
Mina nods, a confident smirk on her face. “You don’t leave me barefoot, I don’t leave you hanging. That’s the deal.”  
  
“Right,” Dahyun grins, leading Mina back over to their shoes so they can put them back on. She ignores the blatant confusion on Nayeon’s face as she watches the two of them, but she simply leans on Jeongyeon while waiting.  
  
“I did have fun tonight,” Mina mentions as she takes off Dahyun’s tuxedo jacket, a shy smile on her face.  
  
“Thanks for keeping me company,” Dahyun says, putting the jacket back on. It smells like Mina now.  
  
There’s a bashful silence that seems to fall upon them as they gather their things and follow Mina’s friends back down into the house. The descent to the first floor has Jeongyeon wobbling a bit, so they admit that it’s time that they should go home.  
  
“It was nice meeting you, Dahyun,” Jeongyeon says sloppily with a hiccup, pecking Nayeon’s cheek before fully leaning her weight on her girlfriend.  
  
Nayeon groans but offers Dahyun a small smile. “Same. Hopefully Mina will bring you around sometime soon so that we can talk to you for more than four minutes.”  
  
“That’s okay,” Dahyun chuckles, “It was nice meeting you, too.” She squints a little, though. _You leaving Mina behind during a party isn’t as nice, though, even if it wasn’t intentional._ But then Mina is abruptly taking up most of her line of sight, standing in front of her and looking down at her with a small smirk.  
  
“We can make real plans, by the way.”  
  
Dahyun smirks back. “And here I thought we had a dinner and a movie all set to go.”  
  
“There is that new Spider-Man movie…”  
  
“Sounds perfect,” Dahyun nods, grinning as Mina’s smirk stretches into a smile. She tries not to look too pleased when Mina holds her hands between them and gives her a chaste kiss.  
  
“I’ll be seeing you,” Mina whispers, squeezing Dahyun’s hands one last time before turning and exiting the house with her friends, leaving a waving and fluttering Dahyun behind.  
  
She helps the staff clean up for a while after that, not really having much else to do as the guests slowly begin to leave for the night. It takes about two and a half hours to get the place in order, thanks to the amount of staff at the ready, and Dahyun makes sure to grab her bag from upstairs before exiting the house, not forgetting to take one last look at the valley as she walks to her Uber.  
  
Taking a seat in the back, Dahyun takes a moment to whip out her phone and check her messages. The most recent message is from two hours ago, from an unknown number.  
  
_I didn’t get a chance to say it since Nayeon and Jeongyeon dropped in on us (sorry), but Happy New Year. Thank you for keeping me warm with your jacket,_ the text reads, and Dahyun grins at the screen, quickly saving the number.  
  
_Happy New Year, Mina. You looked really good in it,_ she replies. Hopefully that date can happen as soon as possible, because the only way Dahyun got through cleaning so fast without passing out was because she had their kiss playing on loop in her head. It was memorable. There are two more messages waiting for her, unread, both from the same group chat.  
  
Tzuyu’s text is simple and sweet, _Happy New Year, Dahyun! We miss you, do NOT drive!_  
  
And then Chaeyoung’s, _Happy New Year, buddy! Wish you could’ve been here with us instead of in a stuffy house! How’s the beginning of 2019 feeling over there in the hills?  
  
_Dahyun chuckles softly to herself. She’ll wish them a happy new year later at their apartment, after getting some sleep. But even though she doesn’t send a reply, she can’t resist the small smile that tugs at her lips as she watches the hills disappear behind her, almost like a distant dream.  
  
_It could be worse._

**Author's Note:**

> Mihyun deserves far more justice than this, but I figured a quick last-minute dedicated fic to them for New Year's Eve would at least be a nice treat. "In The Mood" is a great piece if you don't know it. Brief note; I stayed up all night to write this (a habit, as any reader of mine might know) so pardon any GLARING errors. Otherwise, feel free to leave any thoughts if you have any. Have a wonderful year, everyone!
> 
> Twitter: [@heartshooketh](https://twitter.com/heartshooketh)  
> CuriousCat: [@dubfu](https://curiouscat.me/dubfu)


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